Highlights: Strange and wonderful Colorado happenings Oct. 16-22

Food and films are fine fare for fun time, and there are some good options this week for both. Channel your inner Deadhead and learn how to roll a better one, as well, and you can lie down smokin’, honey, and have yourself a ball.

Boulder International Film Festival Contemporary Shorts (Oct. 16)

For $7, you could do a lot worse than check out a slew of Academy Award-winning or nominated short films from 2014 at the Broomfield Auditorium at 7 p.m. Ideal for short attention spans — wait, is that a pizza over there? — the lineup includes “Mr. Hublot” (the Best Animated Short winner last year), “Date with Fate,” “Irish Folk Furniture” and “Love and Germophobia.” Click here for details

Dark Star Orchestra: A Tribute to The Grateful Dead (Oct. 16)

Sigh. We miss you, Jerry. And so we celebrate you by wiggle dancing in tie-dye to the Dark Star Orchestra, a Dead tribute band from Chicago that rotates between replicating exact set lists from the past and throwing together their own mixes. When guitarist/vocalist Jeff Matson — also of jam band The Zen Tricksters — gets in the groove, the spirit will move you, too. Get your space jam on at the Ogden Theater at 7 p.m.; tickets are $25 ($30 at the door). Click here for details

Grand Coffee Bazaar (Oct. 17)

Breakfast bongs should always be followed up by…breakfast. Get some at the Grand Coffee Bazaar, which will offer brunch bites from local food trucks and coffee shops, 15 kinds of coffee for the tasting and morning cocktails and beer. Included in the $20 ticket: unlimited coffee samplers (good morning to you, too!), breakfast snacks, one cocktail or beer and a mug that’s yours forever. The wake-up call can happen anytime from 9 a.m.-noon in the parking lot for Our Mutual Friend Tenth Acre & Brewery at 2810 Larimer St. The inevitable crash is on your own timetable. Click here for details

Sushi and Joint Rolling (Oct. 22)

Admit it: You’ve looked at a sushi roll at some point and thought, “That is one sick, sticky blunt.” It’s what makes learning how to roll your own — sushi rolls and joints — such a natural combo. This two-hour class will focus on the most popular sushi types and getting that tidy, sleek look on your J. Bring your favorite strain; sushi fixings and papers will be provided. This good time starts at 6:30 p.m. at Green Labs in Denver. Click here for details